Ahmedabad: A nine-month-old child and a 59-year-old man tested positive for human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in Gujarat on Saturday, taking the number of such cases to five in the state, officials said. All five HMPV cases have been reported in the state in less than a week.
The baby boy was admitted to a private hospital in the city on January 6 with a cold, cough and difficulty in breathing. He has no history of foreign or other travel, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) said.
Similarly, a man from the Kutch district admitted to a private hospital in Ahmedabad was found infected with HMPV, the civic body said. He also has no travel history, AMC said.
On January 10, an eight-year-old boy from Sabarkantha district was confirmed to be infected with HMPV, making him the third case in the State.
Two days back, an 80-year-old man tested positive for the viral infection in Ahmedabad. The patient, who has been suffering from asthma, is currently being treated at a private hospital.
Gujarat recorded its first case of HMPV on January 6, when a two-month-old boy from Rajasthan was found to be afflicted with the viral disease, which has symptoms like fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, and cough. He was discharged after being treated at a hospital.
With two fresh infections, the state has seen five HMPV cases since January 6. HMPV, discovered in 2001, belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family. It is closely related to the Respiratory Syncytial Virus.
The pathogen spreads through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing as well as by touching contaminated surfaces or coming into direct contact with infected individuals.
